University of South Carolina Libraries
-?-?? -'----, . -:-;_ ? ? ??1 ' '? i1""!1 ". i1 BY E. B. MURRAY & CO._ANDERSON. S. C., THURSDAY MORNING. OCTOBER 2, 1879. VOL. XV-jSO.1-2. n.ltr/..^ W-TM-?J - I A x-JLlSAKAAT I Jill* TO BUEVABD. The Hallroad SlcnUng-Improvement of the French Broad Elver-Mountain Scenery, Ac., Ac. Mn. EDITOB : Ia order to attend tho railroad main meeting at Brevard, N. C., held on the lGth inst., in behalf of the Eaaley, Belton, Williamston and French Brpad Hoad, it waa necessary that the Blue Bidge mountains should be crossed. Hence, we chose the route along the sur vey of Capt. Kirk fox the aforesaid Hoad. This survey was made thirteen months heforo to tho North Carolina line, but the Directors bad ordered a completion of th" survey to the valley of the French Broad, and bad employed Maj. T. B. Lee, an old and well-known Civil Engi neer, to nccompauy Capt Kirk and verify Baid survey. This was done to the entire satisfaction of tho Directors, and confirmatory of the general fidelity and correctness of Capt. KirL'a previous aur voy. This was very gratifying to all the parties concerned, and to none more so than tho officers of the Road. Tho meet ing at Bro vu rd was largely attended by tho citizen:) of Transylvania and adjoin ing counties, and an enthusiastic interest manifested in tho enterprise. On that , side of the mountains there seemed to he no croaker, and the people there aro re solved to do thoir utmost to meet thc South Carolinians on the top of the Blue Bidge. Capt. Ephraim Clayton, ol Asheville, an old and experienced con tractor, presided over tho meeting, and Qcn. Vance, Capt. Atkinson and other. added greatly to the interest of the meet ing. Tho President of the Road, Col B. E. Bowen, introduced tho subject o the meeting by giviug a brief history o the Road from its inception to the presen! time. Then followed Maj. Leo's report certifying to the gene^l correctness o: Capt; Kirk's survey, acd verifying thi astounding fact that the Biuo Ridgo cat be crossed at tho Eastatoe Gap, with at - average grade on this side of 65 feet ti the mile, and down on the other Bide ti the valley of the French of 70 feet to th mile; that the work on this mountaii section is remarkably free from roc!; snd, except in ono or two int?meos, of m great magnitude-, and can be ac co ai plished at an average cost of three thou sand dollars per mile ; that the coiintr through which tho Road wii! pass is ric in mineral ores, gold, iron, coal, corur dum, mica and lime inexhaustible ; thr with convict labor tho Road can be hui! at a cash advance of 25 per cent, on th original cost, and that the whole Ros from Bolton to Asheville, N. C., a dil tance of 99 miles, can bo graded at fraction over three hundred thousarj dollars. Asheville, like Atlanta, is a sort of coi verging point for all the Western road reaching out from North and South Ca olina and Georgia for tho trade of tl great West. From Asheville to Wo 'Creek, a distance of some 40 miles, wi be the only remaining link to bring us I ^connection with the great net-work railroads, running East and West, at North and South, and connecting tl lake3 of the Northwest with the cities the South Atlantic. Wilmington, Pc Royai, Charl?st?? end Savannah will : reap a rich reward from the propos rail connection with Asheville. Atlau and Charlotte, t-.o rival inland towna great commercial importance, will cl have opened te tho enterprise of th merchants a new and important field trade. After tho reading of the report, C W. S, PickenB, of Anderson County, C., made one of his best speeches iu 1 half of tho enterprise. Ho told ,tho pt pie of North Carolina that wo came them in behalf of the enterprise, not speculators, not os foreign adventure but os farmers, and an important com] lient port of the body politic, having iutorest diverse from theirs in this ont prise. Tho Colonel's speech was poin throughout, and produced a marl eiTcct upon the audience. . Gen. Vance followed io ono of happiest efforts, pledging the great SI of Buncombe to tho performance of whole duty in the prosecution of I great enterprise ; that at five cents head, every acre of cabbages would $200 j that ho was born and raised U apple orchard, and that with railr facilities, the production of apples wc become an important, pleasant r.>;d munerative employment ; that Buncoi could make as fine tobacco as the w< produced, and that about half a mil worth had boen i shipped from V Creek the past season ; that tho voile tho French-Broad was an asylum for invalid of ovary clime. He rejoiced here, at least, was. the safe and aun treat from cholera, yellow fever, < that her mountain. Boonery wail i quailed ; that he- pure, gurgling wa bursting in. a tkuusao 1 rivulets from mountain sides, was the greatest t ever .cori ferrcd on mortal man; that was in favor of all railroads-waa a g friend of the Spartanburg & Asbe Road, and equally a friend to the posed Eastatoe Gap Read ; that it c and would bo built. He was followed by Col. Russell, C Atkinson and Col. Hatch, all urging importance of the.enterprise. Capt. Atkim?i)0'is largely- engage the apple culture-took the premiui the Centennial-and produced an r itt Brovard, called tho yellow pij which weighed 24 ounces. He exhil another apple nearly as large, which propagated on tho Edisto near Obi ton. He is a member of the LegLsli from his county, a mail .of great ei of character, and a host at anythir undertakes. OeL Hatch formerly lived in Ghi ton, bat claims to he a North Carol now, and intensely onxloui for tho pletion of tho Road., Said tba** by i pleting'thU Road to Charleroi* and Royal, it would connect the Weat lilli the West Iudies aud South America, as j they were directly on the highway to those countries. A very encouraging letter was then read by tho President from Mr. Hay tuond, tho great railroad nun of Indiana, indicating that when wo needed ?t, a plenty of help could be had for the ccu pletion of our Road. Mr. It. W, Hume, formerly of Charles ton, but long a citizen of Transylvania County, introduced a resolution, which waa enthusiastically adopted, pledging the people of the French'Broad to do all in their power for the prosecution of the enterprise. The meeting w?s then closed, at a late hour, ?.mid the general rejoicing of the 1 friends ol this great enterprise. The delegates from Bouth Carolina were invited to remain over a day aod enjoy tho pleasure of a boat ride down the French Broaa u few miles, to see the progress of the work now being prose cuted, by means of jetties, dredging and blasting, to so deepen the minimum depth of tho stream, so that a light steamer could ply Bafely up and down tho river for some 80 or 40 miles. In deed, it is proposed to prosecute the work to Asheville, but the Long Shoal, some 25 or 30 miles below Brcvard, is thought by the Superintendent to present diffi culties of too great magnitude to be un dertaken. It is proposed to get a depth at low water, of three feet, which, it ii Boid, will be sufficient for light steamers This important work is the result of ai appropriation, by the last National Con gress, of $25,000, t\> be devoted to th< improvement of the French Broad Bi vet For this the people aro mainly indebiti to the exertions of Gen. Vance, the! popular representative. We South Car olinianB, after seeing the effectiveness o the work on tho French Broad, have re turned home fully Impressed with the be lief that the samo thing could bo.don along the bed of tho beautiful Savanna! and its tributaries. Wo may yet live t seo the day when steamboats will ru the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca considerable distance. So mote it bi Tho party composing the excursion cor siBtcd of Gen. Vance, Capt. Clay toi Capt. Kirk, Col. Pickcns, Col. Russel Capt. Humo, Capt. Averill, tho cVi< superintendent ot the work, and a boi hand. Capt. Averill did everything 1 could to mako our ride pleasant' and li sifuetlvo. And tito memory of Cap Hume will ever be fresh in our hear for his kindneas in getting up this e: cursion. A THRILLING TRADITION. As we glided smoothly along the bea tiful waters of the French Broad, ?a] Clayton related a thrilling story of little war that took place on its ban perhaps a century ago, of which histo gives co account. The territory lyii along the banks of this Biver was on claimed by tho Georgians, and they s tually laid ont a county, calling it Wi ton, which was stoutly resisted by t tar-heels, finally reculting in a battlo I tween the parties, in which one man v killed and several captured. The Noi Carolinians, after obtaining rcinfon merits, returned to tho charge, and, the second rencontre, got tho best of I Georgians. Finally, tho dispute v amicably adjusted, and this beaut! French Broad Valley became part s parcel of Ute old North State. TUE PROPOSED TERMINUS. Capt. Averill proposes for the pres tho mouth of Mud Creek os tho termii of steamboat navigation, at. whicl- pc he. desires a junction with tho Spart burg and Asheville Road. This is ab 28 miles from Brevard. Ho will not ablento prosecute tho work longer tl the middle of October, as tho weat will then be too cold for tho hand work in tho water. They aro in water the whole time up to their croi and yet there is no complaint of sickn Water hands get ono dollar per day, work eight hours ; tho other bands Boventy-fivo cents.. There were ei doublo teams employed in dredging bottom of the French Broad with common iron scoop. Other hands employed in blasting. In three I water the> will drill the boles with ? utmost precision, and, after a suffic number of drills have been bored,.! aro all charged, with dynamite cartriti water-proof, and fired by electri Tho electric battery ie placed a safe tance away, ami connected hy tyke ? the charge. As soon as thc batte charged the explosion takes place, th lng the loose rock and. sprays of V some ten feet abovo thonurface. i Vance was afforded tho opportanll firing off ono blast, which did coi crablo execution. Capt. Averill h floating hotel and blacksmith chop, w fcHcTTC tho 1..V..J., cluooly in their oj tiona. Tho jetties are something Ilk a small way, the Sades jetties, which dono such great execution in deepe the bar off New Orleans harbor, ace cow being tried on tho Charleston They are constructed of pens of h loge, borne 6 feet wide b? 10 to lt long, buried beneath inc bed of the and filled with rock. These jetties a tendency to deepen the waters bl centre of t^ve river, and dish ?Lu? abrupt fall in tho stream to a uni Jocity for a considerable distance. MOUNTAIN BCENERY. As wo approach tho- Bine Ridge tho South, Bald Knob, Tabla? Rod Castor's Head stand looming up t the traveller, with their elevated towerig in tho sky, in dignified grai and silence. Bald Knob is said higher than tb? Table Bock. ' mountains, which haro Deon the ration of the world for a century jxtig?i?y io tho right of the pro EaoVatoe Gap Road, and will no become placea of great retort io pleasure seeker and invalid nh the pletion of thia enterprise. . Ho grand the scenery on this side thc Ridge, it is eclipsed as we desecad the French Broad on the other side. Peak after peak, and range upon range, lie upon each other, and each apparently striving for the mastery in the grand panorama. The highest peak perhaps iu the United States is Mitchell, called after a distinguished tourist who lost his life in iL? exploration. His remains lie upon vue summit. It is 6,700 feet above the sea. Tho purest water gusuesfrom these mountain aides in ton thousand, 'rivulets, I freely dispensing their life-giving prop erties to man and beast.. The following extracte fr^m the lotter of a correspondent to tho (Columbia) i Southern Presbyterian, describing Western North Carolina, are graphie and truo to the letter : X. In support of tho truth of. this state ment is' tho following testimony of Pro lessor Guyot, of the College of New Jen soy, who is an authority in euch matters. After describing this mountain region ic its general dimensions and most striking features, bo says : "Here, then, througc an extent of moro than one hundred ant fifty miles, thc mean height of tho valle; from which the mountains rise is mon than 2,100 feet; the mountairu whicl .each 6,000 feet are counted by scores and the loftiest peaks rise to 6,700 feet while at the North, in tho group of thi Whito Mountains, the base is scarcely 1,000 feet, the gaps 2.000 feet, and Moun Washington, the only one which rise above 6,000 feet, is still 400 feet helov tho height of tho Black Dome of th Black Mountains. Here, then, in all re spects, is the culminating region of th vost Appalachian system." Tho first striking characteristic' of thi region is its mountains, which aro distill guished by elevation,: variety of chain and groups, the countlosss number c fteaks and knobs, fertility of soil, an .rjror?an?e of vegetation, and by a gee eral aspect not of rugged and meian choly desolation, but of mingled grot dour, verdure, beauty and lovclines: On the west is tho chain of tho Gre; Smoky Mountain, the crest of which : the dividing line between North Carolin and Tennessee. On tho east is tho Bio Ridge; between these aro nr.iaeroi .transverse or cross chains, and east of tl Blue Ridge aro divers spurs, such as tl Tryon range. These constitute four di tinct classes of ranges and elevations, tl whole forming the mountainous region > North Carolina, which, entering tl Stato from Virginia, continues throur its extremo western part into Georgi The length, of these highlands lying North Carolina is about ISO or 200 tnih with an average breadth of 40 to i miles. The most elovated of all tho chains the Black Mountain, which is a ere chain northeast of Asheville and t valley of the French Broad. It contai a number of lofty peaks, the highest whicb. is Black Dome, (or Mitchel High Peak, or Ciingman's of Sti maps,) 6,707 feet, being tho most elevat point in the eastern division of the Ui ted States. The peak takes its nai from tho dark color of the balsam I which, above a certain line of clevatl grow thickly and luxuriantly, and cov its sides and summit. On the lattei the gravo of Professor Mitchell, of I University of North Carolina, who 1 his lifo in exploring the peak in 18 and whose romains were buried on ! t:m. There is another peak called Moi Mitchell, but it is four miles didtant fr the other, and 125 feet lower. Tho ; tance of the Black Dome from Ashev; is about 25 miles. Tba Grandfather mountain is a pi of the Bluo Ridge still further to northeast from Asheville, measur 5,897 feet, and is the highest .-uimmi that chain, though twelve other j>e aro over 5,000 feet. Mount Hai Doutbwest of the French Brood, was o regarded as tho highest peak of the I Ridge, but the Grandfather has. b found to be the highest. This is tb3 view expressed by Pro sor Guyot, who says: "Beyond French Broad rises the most maa cluster of highlands and of moun chains. Hore ' tho chain of the G Smoky Mountain, which extends f the deep cut of the French Brose Paint Rock to that not less remark of the Little Tennessee, is the mt chain of that region of the whole I ghany system. Though its highest ? niita dre a few feet below tho big peakB of tho Black Mountain, it prc? on that extent cf sixty-fbo miles a tinuoua series of high peaks, and au rage elevation not to be found in other district, and which give to greater importance in the geograpl structure of that vast system of m tains. The gapB or depressions t fall below 5,000 feet, except towards southwest and beyond Forney R and'the number of peaks, the altitut which exceeds 6,000 feet, is indeed large. "OP thojopposito side to the nortl ibo Blue mogo also otTers ita gre elevation in tho comp>>?t cluster ot sr tains i.hich fiil the southern perth Hay woo i and Jucltson counties. bl Hardy, ht the Blue Ridge, which cording to Mr Buckley, rises to feet,, though this elevation may be j to? great, seems; to be tho culmin point of the Blue Ridge." Six principal rivore, with num tributaries, take their rise in the wc slopes of the Blue Ridge and in tho chains, and after passing in* deep ? through tho Smoky Mountain range to form the great continental eire? the Tennessee River, which, after ine a thousand mi lea, empties int Oh'io at Paducab, Ky. These ai Hiwasaee, Li ttl o Tennessee. Ric Pi French Broad, Nolechucky arid~Wal Another, New River, having its springs in and around Grand Mountain, flows northward through ginia into tho Konawha River, 1 empties into the Ohio. EochV of rivers drains a basin or valley of c arable extent, bearing severally tho of the river that runa through ; it soil of the river and creek betta us?aBy fertile, and the same is trui large part of tho hills and m oui In many csa^s they are cultivated < sides and summits. That botany of this mountain re? deeply interesting, tho forest belfti in trees, flowers, ferns and mosses j tba scenery ia peculiarly beaut! fi pleasing. Say? Dr. Curtis. "In i demon ts which' reader mountain s attractive, co portion of the 1 States presents them in happier < nation, ut greater perfection, or tn extent, than tho mountains of Carolina." .Minerals abocen, as gold, coppe mica, corundum; but there islittl and no coal. This mountain region needs onl jrnnuin mid reedefti easily access' order lo be visited, appreciated!a joyed. With tho spread of the 1 its beauties, find witc iacreased is of approach, it will beoomo tba re tourists, health and pleasure-seek, .porUmcn, in large numbers.- T of travel and influx of vhitore i nually increasing. Two railroads have penetrated nearly through the Blue Ridge, and are being pushed forward to Asheville. Persons leaving Atlanta or Charleston at 4 or 6 o'clock in tho morn ing are able to reach Asheville at 10 or ll o'clock p. in. of tho same day. GRAPE CULTURE IN AMERICA. L TU? History of Three- Centuries of JUnsu?. ccssful KO?rt-What sure tho Constituents In Grape* Necessary to the Production of IVluc-Tho Cost and ? Profit o: Vlne O rowing;. By Dr. G. D. iMrtigve, Bloch-iUe, S. C. Grape culturo and wi no-making, from tho cattiest periods in our history, have received great attention. Tho Spaniards caliph tho country Florida ; tho French named in Kow France, impressed with its . great resemblance to their native wine-growing countries. In 1GG7, in the charter from Charles II to the Lords Proprietors, wine, ailie, raisins, currante, oil, olives and amonda, produced hero and exported to England, were free from customs duos. Free pas sage waa granted ai. the same time to Frenchmen skilled in making wino, with their families and goods. By 1G82 five kinds of native vines bad boon described, good wines bad been made, and many vineyards planted with imported vines. In "Oldmixon's Carolina" (London, 1708,) ho convoyed tho idea that wino making was not profitable. In 1703, "Madeira wine ana punch were the com mon drinks of tho inhabitats;" yet few gentlemen were without their French, Spanish and Portuguese wines. In the exports of 1747 and 1748 there were no nativo wines, whilo largo quantities of foreign wines wore sent to England. From Ponce do Leon's discovery of this coast in 1612, to the middlo of the Eigh teenth Century, numerous well directed I efforts failed to make this a wino-produc iug country. In tho succeeding hundred years thu results w?r? not encouraging. In a lotter recently received from Mr. A. Do Caradouc, now of Charleston, bo says : "For making ~Iuo tho grape cul ture wan commenced in 1842-48 uy Dr. McDonald and myself near Aiken ; oth ers followed. On account of tho ditficul I ty in procuring cuttings, and of tho scant means at our disposal, it was several years before we made wine, and even then under immense disadvantages. The vines we cultivated wero of American species; although, at tho time, several were known under foreign name*, but with a better knowledge of them, I soon traced their origin to bo American. "We also imported Borne forty or fifty European varieties, French, Spanish, Italian, German, all of which invariably died out after two or three years ; onojor two sheltered from our too heavy dews, under a piazza, continued to bear fruit for four or fi>o years. Some valuable hy brids hnv? no doubt hfteo obtained at the present day, but I know little of them. "Until 1861 tho culture of tho grape was eminently successful and promising in our State, the fruit matured to perfec tion without rot or defects, tho juice of all, witb the exception of the Scupper nong, containing all ingredients necessa ry for a first quality wiuo. * * I nev er added sugar or spirits to my beat wino ; it kept well and improved with age. The largest and best crop was in 1861; tho yeild was abundant, the fruit superb, the wine delicious. * * After that year the grapes commenced to rot, and continued to do so. * * This rot seems to have been general throughout the country-North, South, East and West. I considered the cause aa climatic and not in the soil, as fruit sheltered from dews never rotted. At first il was thought California waa exempt from it. Could a remedy be found f?r it, j*o crop would pay better, and none would bo more pleasant to make." GODi N?g?CO, pf Ran J ryan ^ Cai'IifCTSis, and experienced vino culturist, utated in 1872 that in two years out of five the grape crop in his State was a failure. A writer in the Plantation, an agricultural journal recently publish in Georgia, after forty years' experience, say "Grape cul ture in all tho Southern States ls a dead failure," and almost every one of tho many who bas written on tho subject daring the last.fifteen years virtually ac knowledges this,'in stating that tho vines are short-lived, that the grapes rot, that they have too much acid in them and too little sugar. ? Many of tbs writers have had contradictory -results, as their experience, in the! diff?rent processes of planting, cultivating, pruning, manur ing and trnip.iirg," and ns to tho variety best auiUid to each locality. To discuss these matters, to attempt to reconcilo differences, and to deduce correot conclusions -as to tho moat proper course, would bo an onerous un dertaking. Yet with these facts before Us, wo would be recreant to our trust were we, without grave consideration, to endorse by action, or encourage by words, 5capo culture as one of the approved in ustrics of the country. Changes in the industrial pursuit of any country must bo gradual, and io introduce a now agricuir tural industry it mustbo adapted to. tho soil, the climate, and tho genius of tho rj?opk. First, we assnmo it cs an established fact that wine in the Southern States is not yet ono of tho staple productions. Now wo would inquiro if it is posaiblo to make it so, and thea r.ould it bo prof itable? Of tho various-thuds called wines, that which is tho simplo fermented juico of the grape, to which nothing has been ad ded, and- trots which- nothing has been taken by other than natural processes, may be called "Natural wino;" on chem let. analysis yielding water, alcohol, tannin, cream of tartar or bitartrato of 'potash, tartaric acid, grape sugar and /.bttnntl-il/j Airline* Th'*1 ??2tU"? may bo considered tho typo of all truo ?vines, although Its various specimens ore very dissimilar. Of thia we must be lieve the Lord partook at tho "Last sup per." and of such, we pr?same, would all Christians partako in tho celebration of that holy sacrament Wines of this kind wer? at ono timo the common productions of all grape* gro?i?g countries. At present it ia a difficult -natter-to procure a specimen of it. In 1861, Mr. A. Haraoztby, authorized by the State of California, travelled over Ku ropo to report on grano culture and wine-making. At Hocnbelm, ic Ger many, ho found a wino very carefully made, especial rules and regulations, be ing enforced by the government to assure its quality, This wino was worth from ono to six dollars a gallon. The winos produced at'tho vineyards of thc Duke of Nassau and tho-ia mou? Johannesburg, from Count Metter nich'* estates, commanded fabulous prices, and from the processes of manu facturo, as described, are in part natural wines; the choicer qualities being mada from selected fruit in years of oxecption ai grOwth. Tn neirfy every .Hhor ;in ? stance ibero, ore grounds for octieving i that tho wines have been tampered i vim.'- - Wines to which something has been ? added before, during or after fermentation to correct certain disagreeable qualities of tho wilke, constitute another class. i Should the wine be unpleasantly sour, from too much tr.rtario aciA, it may bo ameliorated by ibo addition of potash and lime, which would form insoluble compounds with the acid and be deposi ted in too cask, aa areal or cream of tar? tar, or a sufficiency of water is added to reduce tho sourness of the fluid to ' an agreeable- standard, then a quantity of sugar ia added to in ak o the mixturo show a peisentage of saccharine matter suffi cient to generate alcohol in quantity equal to that, contained in the wine which this fabricated article is to simu late. These processes have beeu in \i?e, in more or less,degree, for ages. Pliny makes mention of tho mixture of honey with grape juice to strengthen it, and Aristcous taught ibis method. Different substances were used, "salt, sea water, ashes, chalk, gypsum, raisins, nnd, later yet, potassa, brandy and water." Tho uso of these articles were secrets of tho trade, carefully kept and handed dowd as heirlooms in tho family. From tho year 1768 to the year 1849, French, English and German seien tifio men were interested in tho fabrication of wines, and at this day nearly all tho wines of tho world are Ghaptatizod or Gal I i zed make, by processes advised by Chaptal and Gall, being simply an addi tion of water and grape sugar, made from potatoes, to grape must. These fabrica ted wines possess great similitude to nat ural wines of the better class, and aro often in tasto and quality supposed to be better than natural wines from the same grapes. Still another variety of so-called wines is made by tho fermentation of succu lent vcgotablo matter with sugar a :d wa ter, chemical producta being added to give agreeable qualities, oftentimes with no grape juice in tho mixture, its oonnnth ic ether being derived from tho distilla tion of castor oil with potash. Wo may cali this spurious wine ; of it large quan tities are made and consumed in Ger many and France. one-half of the. quan tity 'of the wino consumed in in Paris being spurious. These various processes or amelioration, fabrication aud adulteration, may bo more or less employed ; distilled liquors may bo added, as iu Madeira, sherry and port, the wine may bo impregnated with carbonic acid gas, as in champagne, ei ther by natural or artificial processes, or with laughing gos; the mash may be boiled to a syrup and then fermented, 01 the wine may be mudo form some fresh juice, sweetened wi*.h sugar and diluted with water. We essay to speak only of natural wino, of which some fair specimens have been mado in '.his region. The great difficulty, however, is to produco froir the samo vine in tho same locality io- : lengthened term of years, a wino whicl wil: approximate any given standard o excellence. It is an acknowledged fact that luau, nature sports aud hybrids arc not as per manent in their existence as their paren stocks. There is a wide opening for re search in these matters, as well as int? the true period ol tho lifo of plants pro pagated by cuttings, buds, layers au( grafts. Such investigations would bayi practical bearing in illustrating man; agricultural aud horticultural subjects for instance a seed of tho Vitia Labrusca, l variety of grape indigenous to Aci?ries uncontaminated, should perpetually re {traduce itself. But tho orginal plan rem which the seed carno must, in th course of nature aud years, die. W have nc right to suppose that plants fror this original, propagated by cutting buds, layers or grafts, would outlive th parent stock, circumstances being th Bama. It is supposed that the Catawba, one so popular, MOS a sport, a hybrid of th Vitia Labrusca, in which case tho cutting buds, lagus or grafts from tho origine Catawba, should follow itt career an live no loGger thiu it? imm?diate naren and not so long as its remote parent, th Vitia Labrusca, unless its parent from tb other stock was longer lived than th Vitia labrusca. We can, with no cei tainty, expect that plants from a Cata? ba seed, unaffected by pollen from at other variety of grape, will be iden t ici with tho original Catawba, it being, : assumed, a sport or hybrid; but tho r suiting plant may be a new vcviety, po sibly weaker in vitality than the Catav ba, its status having been lessened by i original abnormal genetatlon, while , hybridized seeding^ might vary still mo: and suffer greater deterioration, or poss bly bo strengthened by tho plant suppl; lng the pollen. : .'. In view of these facts, hypothetic though they may be, we need have 1 great surprise at tho failure and death our Caiaphas, and of other varieties, ! analogous processes. As set forth in Mr. De Cnradeuc's le ter, about tho year 1862 a gcne.al failu of the vines of tho country commence which bas continued up to tho preso timo, aa evinced by tho numerous artic! in the Southern sericultural journa wherein ono experienced vine-grow suggested a new set of vines every eig years, another shallow planting, HOI advocating close pruning, others th the vities should run at will on tic sump.Jjroposing the adoption of Pasteu Byslt?m o? ripening vines, and others tl of De la H?nrense. In foreign countries the lifo and pi ductiven jss of the grapo is variable ; t Oidiura and the Phylfoxnia committi !reot ravages, while all the vines in t ?land of Madeira havo died in rcct years. Vinca were planted there 1420, and havo frequency been rcpla: .ed. A vine said to be th? ''.rgest in I world grew at Santa Barbara, Cal i fort and chowing by ita'' decay that term , of life had. been almost compelislied, it ^was dug np, a phia in 1876. From reliable accounts was but 60 or 60 years old, while a c ting from it now grows nt Santa Barba being 16 inches In diameter three i from tho ground vhon 16 years c This. extraordinary growth is almora and ehould not bo considered in form i an idea as to tho aga or size a grapo v may reach; The sire of tho vine, ht ever, serves ?G'g?u?nd io assist in s< mating its' ago. Tho doors of the Tem of Ravenna were mudo of plank two feet long and fifteen inches wide fr the trunk of a grapo vino, as also w tho columns of Juno's Temple at Me pent, and a statue of Jupiter. In Europe, the bearing ago is from to 80-years, while'more lengthened pi ods aro claimed forsomo localities... C vies ia Bergundy was said to be 400 ye of age. Some Italian .vineyards 300 yo old are'said still to bear and Houri wbilo tho ancients gave to tho,vice loogovity of 600 years. In this connection tho Idea I woi develop ls this, that notwithstanding great ago to which an original 'teeali of u puro variety and its offshoots n llVO,Its crossej, bybrhLi and sport*, p pagated as offshoots may disappoint m quality and durability, aftor having a time given great prombM of suco and thal tba so-called falleras in gr; culture in this region, tho re&uits spasmodic efforts, have been the conni ??art of Uko failures in Europe from tl mniemorial, as wa find from axaraio thc history of ita grape culture. We should not regard tlieee failures as decisive, but they should enter Into a consideration of tho pur ibility of success in milking vino-growing an establish ed industry. But what would bo a success? And what tribunal should ?it in judgment? It might bc a harbinger or success if our vino would comparo favorably with European npecimens. In 1878, at tho Industrial Exhibition held nt vienna, eighty-two specimens were offered by twelve exhibitors. Tho opinions of the British, French and Swiss Comm lesionen are published, and should, it is supposed, fix tl J grades of American wines. But tho awards as issued convey no idea of tho value of tho wines, nor of any oth er American products exhibited for there wcro 442 awards granted to 654 exhibi tors. Of tit eeo noue were of tho first grade for wines. Of "medals for progress,' that ?H for improvement over former ex bibit>, four were awarded, three for tlu cia.' i of "merit," and diplomas conferring honorable mention wero issued to the OX' hibitors, there being nine awards tc twelve exhibitors of wino. In tho abstract of tho report of tin commissioners, wo find no high cstimntt placed on the wines, to which thesi awards wero granted ; in almost ovory in stance thcro is an opon ' sneer, or con coaled sarcasm in alluding to them while tho Editor of tho roports in com miserntion for our deficincy "has no hesitated to omit all that was plalnb erroneous, or which appeared prejudiced.1 Thus, with thc best opportunity we hav bsd beforo tho world, wo havo mndo m position for our wines. Some of tho wines on exhibition wer possibly pure and natural, but probabl; tho greater number of them were of th class wo havo called "fabricated." Th standard wines, thoso from tho drinkin of which tho exports had acquired the; taste, may havo buen of similar gradci some satura!, son; s fabricated. Hoi worthless must have been such a tes We know wo can make a good imitatio of wine, a substitute, but wo wish t know if we can with certainty and prof mako such as tho Son of God blessct and for which no fabricated article ca be substituted. To make the true, natural wir its constituents must exint in tho grap As variably as aro .vin-.: : in flavo strength and durability, to bo good < their class tho grape* should have i them water, sugar, acid, Balts of potae and lime, and tannin in proper propo tiona. If '?o examine ?. green grapo v Cud in it an intensely sour fluid, wit some pulpy mattor around tho seed This, by gentle changes in tho laboratoi of nature, is in time in great part coi verted into a pleasantly sweet and sligb ly acid juice. If this chango ?R effect* to but a limited extent, tho ferment! juico makes a weak sour wine, but if tl ripening of ibo fruit has progressed f voraidy wo may havo au agrecab wino. The ripening and perfection of t] fauit is tho ?inc ua gnon, and this proco: complicated as it is, has to be studied ni guided to a successful conclusion befo au assured success can bo hoped for. T acid of the grape is moBtly tartaric; tl acid is very soluble ia water, but wh brought into combination with poto and limo if forms chemical compouc but slightly soluble in cold water, tho process of ripening tho tartaric a? gives up some of its component parts tho potash and lime in the grape, wh thc uncombined parts of tho acid seek new combination with other constitue! of tho grape and assist in the format! of sugar. If, however, tho potash a limo should not bo io the proper qui tity and in placo at tho proper time enter into combination with tbo tarta acid, the wine will bo unpleasantly so ?nd from the scarcity of sugar then? v be a corresponding deficiency of al bo!. It may be regarded OB axiomatic tl vital processes, persistently interfo with, either through deficient or supe bundant nutrition, will result in ditei perhaps in death. It is possiblo that comparatively ehort lives cf some vit and tho diseases and imperfections of plant, are in great degrco attributable something of the kind. If tho > ..'*. c not supply tho proper amount of necessary inorganic matters to pori thc organic constitutions of the ph the production must be deficient in qt ity or quantity, or derhaps in both. Truo, natural wines have been prod ed in greatest perfection on volcanic : mations, and iii localities wore pot and limo aro available constituents tho soil ; the use of manure contain them has been practiced ir all connti Their application, however, to soils which they arc deficient, must not eludo from consideration other chem and vital influences. Wine.; are sti ger, more durable and less acid in regions than in cold ones ; whilo tho tanco of a few paces make a great dil ence in the product, explicable by cha in the constituents of the soil, radia of hcadt hygromctrieal condition, toxi of tho soil, drainago, or some undisco ed cause. On tho dctrmination of tl matte-.? tho treatment of the vino pends. In earths which yield in ex potash nnd limo tho vine may suo best if allowed to run riot in the ti but if tho Rtipply is scant and tho gre part, of it is absorbed by tho wood of plant tho dose or charge for tho. soi may bo so fixed that it is not nvnilab the period of ripening ; to antagonize close pruning should bo practiced, depth to which the . roots should p trate thc ground ia at tho same time t determined in part by the constitucn tho soil as availablo at variable de] ?I'say available, for although the q ty of limo, potash andaother inorg BubaUuiceS m:.Y 00 BUmCICui tO ?jst I to six hundred yearn, still if theso stances aro in such chemical combini that the plant cannot absorb t in sufficient quantity they uro us< As well might we expect a vino to i ish ?n a glass tumbler filled with waU..' and marble chips, the potash i glass and thc " mo in tho marble t unavailable. Tho experience of the past, c. v.ld tho fact that where theso substances scarce the wine is inferior in quality the vines are short-lived. Practical!; remedy bas often, boen applied it shape of some alkali to tho joice to t,-alizo the acid, and sugar to impar coholio strength. But it would bo better In .loca where it is intended to make wine tho deficient constituents of tho should bo.added as manure and ass! ted by the plant in accordance wit! laws of nature. Wo find indigenous to this regioi Bulla . ?, or Bullgfape, a variety of IioluK<l(foliat difierent in many pm lars from all European vines, bc Uko tho "Alene," .a"grape of ??! that S?inmes of Florid?, claimed origin for it. Of this variety, a i the Scuppernong, . bas from its t ness and grvat bearing qualitici pccially attracted attention, lt has considered a poor wine grape becau its excess of acid and Its defieren tugar. It runs largely to wood, ani under the ordinary ?ystem'of pru: but recent experiments ind?calo that it may .stand pruning while in loaf during tho fall. Should thia bj so, it, with ita S;ood qualities preserved and it? imper cctions removed, may prove the most valuable of all grapes to us, and produce in great perfection and abundance a sparkling wine ; a quality of which, highly esteemed, eau be made at present from it. Our baan'ry as the possibility of mak ing vine-growing one of the catablisbtd industries of the country, bas so far re Hulled only in prominently bringing fof ward the positive necessity of presence of lime and potash in the soil in sufficiently large and valuable quantities. The im porta; ?uo of this muet be recognised, otb!? envise no progress can be made ; but wo never can expect that all localities Will be equally suitable for nine, as seem to have been the vain, hope of too great ma jority of those who have planted vines. > Can wines be profitably produced by us ? Thisquest?on cannot properly bo answered with no established market, with prices so variable, with cheap beers, mean li quor*? and spurious wines in competition. For the production of pure, natural wines wo may thus roughly approximate tho cost : Land 200 acres-one-half of which (br ?encrai purposes and the other half \ gropes, at $10 cost per acre........$ 2,000 Necessary dwellings of all kinds on thc form, at least. 5,000 Amounting to.$ 7,000 i This being unproductive for at least three year?, add interest at 10 per cent. 2,100 For preparing the ground, plants, filanting, fertilising, training, prim ug, for three years, $10 per aero..... 4,000 Showing as expended in three year* without income.$13,100 In five years bearing, current ex penses thus : Interest oa $13,100, say ot 7 per cont, only. 4,5S5 Ten dollars per annum per nero^ for cultivating, manures, repairs, post 8talkca, work, resetting, &o., &c. 5,000 Ono thousand dollars por acre, for ex penses of vlntago. 5,000 Amounting to.$27,085 During tho term of eight years, this sum has been expended and possibly more, with no return from the invest ment ; tho wines beiug unsold because pct yet mature. These estimates may not bo correct, but are near enough to calculate that if tho average production yearly amounted to 200 gollono per aero, in five years the 100,000 gallons produced would have cost at least 27 cents per gallon. Should then a market bo found and tho Bales of wine commenced, even at the rate of 50 cents per gallon, tho vintage of tho first year, 20,000 gallons, would realize $10,000; In four tbs sales will have amounted to $40,000, which will havo repaid the original investment with all interest and the current expenses, leaving one year's production of tho first five years on hand, increased by tho pro duction of four yeans more, making 100,' 000 gallonB, worth say $50,000, as clear profit, in addition to tho original invest ment. This is an encouraging exhibit for ( puro, natural wines but we are constrain-1 ed to note that tba busks and pulps may} havo bad in the izeantimo added to them about 140,000 gallons of water, willi j 420,000 pounds grape sugar, made frc m potatoes, eta cost of materials and '.abor, 1 say twenty thousand dollars, thus pro eluding about 180,000 gallons of a fabri? cated wine, worth as much in market as natural wine ; a wine which only the most expert of modern chemists can dis tinguish from the first product, and as far aa human judgment nas been able to der term i no, as good. Even this product can bo increased by another doubling. This most extraordinary exhibit, equaling in apparent extravagance the description of the visit of Sinbad tho Sailor to tho valley nf diamonds, m av in time be realised,but only by wise adap tation of means to the end. Individual effort, ill-ad vise J, with inadequate means, and with a limited time in which to re alize an income, almost surely will result iu disappointment; but capital directed into this channel,. properly guided, may, I earnestly believe, bo used to great profit. A ROPE WAI-KKK Daorg A BOY FI BTV FEET.-A few days s.go the lier' aid casually mentioned that an Ogden tight-rope walker would undertake the feat of breaking his neck if a sufficient collection could bo raised to pay bbl fu neral expenses. Though tho intimation did not prove true, it is rather a matter of regret, as one younger and proportion ately more innocent suffers from tue fool hardy exhibition. Last night was the ret time for the feat, and in addition to walking tho rope at a great height, Megginson, tho rope professor, proposed to carry a twelve-year old boy on his back across this rope, to stand on his head upon it, to lie down on bis face balancing tho polo over his back, and to carry two paila of water from ope build ing to another: Tho rope Was stretched I agross Main street Ho commenced his exhibiten, and while endeavoring to car ry the boy across he lost his balance and dropped him to the pavement, fifty feet bel? w, after having walked within ton feet of the end. The rope waa un an in cline of about three feet. In stepping on ; thiVinclino the professor seemed. to lose, his balance, the pole swinging to a per pendicular, and almost instantly after the .immense concourse of people - who b*d assembled to - witness the afiair wcro horrified to seo the boy whirling; through the air, sriking his bead with a* sickening thud. Megginson throw him : self over, catching the rope with one hand in his fall, and after hanging a few seconds in midair, succeeded in gaminga ivin/lfiDt M/tirtrv 1ial.il iw.rir? /0M| boy, whoso name is stated as William Allen, is said to be a son of the marshal of Junction City, Kansas. It is alleged that he ran away from homo and WAS. taken up by tho traveling performer, many exhibitions having been given suc cessfully.1. Toe boy struck the pavement On the right shoulder and head, partially dis locating the neck, and. causing concus sion of tho brain. Ho is still alive, but no ?opes are entertained of lu? recovery. Mvggincon was arrested.- Sali l?ale {Utah) Herald, Sept*. As tho Irishman played thc fiddle by "main strength" so many fancy the hugo, drastic, cathartic pills operate. But this is a mistake, as can he proved by the uso of Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Purgative Pol lota, which are sugar-coated and little larger than mustard needs, yet they are a positive arid efficient cathartic, acting K*>utly on thi; liver and stomach,'kiding digestion, overcoming "biliousness," and Ecrmancntly'curiug. conctlpation. Wm. i. Manly, of Norfolk, Va., writes, 'Your Pleasant Purgative Pellet give perfect satisfaction. - Tho boU-punch lars iu abutting tip many saloons in Dallas, - Texarkana, which lies iu twoStatcs, is about to bc-c-orns thc county-scat of thc adjoining counties. - Student*, who take tho benefit of I tho Texas'State normal school aro re I quired to teach (Ivo y CAW, THE LATEST: FOLLY. HOTT Wemen tattoo Their Xef*~Tf,? tVey lt ls Done In PldladeJohta. Tho item which wa? published ia the London Tima, and which waa generally copied in thia country, relative to the elopment of the daughter of a , noble? man, in which occurred tho sentence, "She can be fully identified by a croa? tattooed on the righ leg just below tho knee," bas served to call out ia thia coun try from tho press a general condemna tion of the practice, which was known to be largely indulged ia by English ami Frenen women. Ia order to learn whether tho tattooing waa carried on to any extent in this city, an Item reporter last week made a tour of discovery, in which hewas very success ful. Among the first visited waa a yoong physician, who said: ,cT?it leg mark referred to ia reference to tho eloping Odarned would be a poor means of ty in this country, for I know of a number of young ladies ia this city who have their limbs decorated in. a similar manner. Daring my brief timo of prac tice I can say that I have met with very many cases. Two young wives whom I attended recently ' had crosses tatooed on their limbs, and ono young lady of whom I know had the initials cf ber fa vorite suitor pierced in tho ukin inst above the ankle." A younger practition er said be bad met with Humorous cases lately. Among the most favorite devices . are serpents with their tails in their mouths, forming a ring, which are tat tooed in just above tho knee., Among the demi-monde be had seen "any number of esses." He stated that most of the female tattoo!ns; was per? formed nt tho bouse of tho patron, by a woman whose name bo did not know. Ho was of tho opinion that tattooing would spread like wildfire since that par agraph about the young English woman had r.ppe?red. Being anxious to gain all tho informa tion possible rolativ? to this barbaric iMstom, an Hem reporter started out in search of tho vornan referred to, who WPS finally fouud iu an unpretentious' but neat house in tho vicinity of Sixth and Collowhill streets. A ring at tho bell brought a colored servant to the door, and tho scribe invited'to a scat in tho parlor, while his card was taken up stairs. Five minutes afterward a yleasant faced lady attired in plain silk, unre lieved by adornments of any kind on tered the parlor, and smilingly extended her hand, the fingers of which were black with India ink. After stating his business, the lady, after some hesitation, consented to talk on the subject, provid ing: her name and residence were not published. "I have to maintain much Becrecy," said tho lady, "for many of my patrons belong to the best families." In answer to tho query whether the prac tice was increasing the lady said: ' "A year or so ago business was dull, but now I have moro titan I can attend to." "I do not know how I shall describe ?ho operation," said the lAdy, "for L am tot very apt at such things; But if I Kuhl so arrange it that you could eeo ? modu* operandi yourself, '.viii you pledge me secrecy in case you know or recognize the patient?" The scribe willingly gave b's word lo be mum, and ho was taken into n room up Blairs which adjoined tho operating room^ and v/hcro be could observe with out being fen. The operating room bore the appearance of a dentist's office. A large, comfortable chaJr? in which. *n aspirant-for tattooing honors was seated, stood by the only, window ia tba apart ment. Tho patient's leg was bare and exposed nearly to the knee, and from its appearance it was evident that the ope ration bad besa . suspended when tho lady carno down to welcome the importer. Work upon it was resumed without de in v ann . fivhrv- tl mn thc. imrrljo r.lnrrj.Til the 'sklii tup young woman winced per ceptibly, and it wa* evident that tho operation, waa. a painful one. Several times tho leg waa .jerked back convul sively, which drew :out an angry com - maud to'-'keep quirt.-f At last "the work upon the cross w?s completed, and tho young woman departed. Tho next patient was a well-known leader of the demi-monde of this eily* who had come to havo tho finishing touches placed ou an elaborate design. She laughed and chatted' through, thu operation, and before she? icft'cohcludcd to have tho other limb decoratod at au early day. As Boon as abo had left the India ink artist joined the reporter,saying : "Wei!, I am now ready-to continue our inter view.? Reporter-From what I have seen I am led to believe the operation a painful one. Am I correct? Artist-To some itlSj to others not. I have known some to faint while undergo ing the tattooing, while others will laugh and joke throughout the catiro operation, evincing no uneasiness what ever. ' Eeportor-Is not tho prnc?co injuri ous? . Artiste-No. I have never heard of it being BO at least? I know of ono young lady whose limb was inflamed and swol len for two or three days, so that it was impossible for her. to use it; Lut .the swoUing went down, and since then she has experienced no trouble. Bat I did not wonder at this case. Barter-Why? Ar?8t-She wanted too much. She actually insisted in having tattooed on her limb, from .tho knee down, no'less than eVfht devices, including monograms, arose*, half-moons, etc. J Beporter--IVho aro your best custom ers? 'Art?st^-rTh? demi-monde. Lately they h ta s? ? Vvo/wvsTtvsS a neo mn? nrar fieV fit ill I have quito a practice among respecta ble women. Speaking of' the demi monde's craze over the matter recalls a little Incident Last week I wes called upon by one of them to tattoo the nama of a well-known politician on hor limb, which I did. The next dar another woman of the same class called for tho same purpose. I remarked ta her tho coincidence. Turning around in tho chair, she said : "if any nthoirwbman bears bis name,; tattoo ii on tho bottom of my foot so that I may express my contempt tor him." , Eeportor-What aro your charges ? Artist-They range from $0 to $26, and for moro elaborate desigus as high as$50. ifest of my eu?tomera, however, aro of the $5 class, (or/which sum I will tattoo crosse?, monograms and circles. /Her declining an offar to tattoo his name on his arm, the reporter withdrew, thoroughly-satisfied that tho: rumors of the practice'vf this art were not without foUodatiou.-Philadelphia Hen. Tho LTdics sing ''in tho swcl" "htiy" wd tjba?".we will meet"ui tho benutnul itoWiV and-we certainly can raise no objective Butrcman.ber the little ones it home and do hot leave the tmwe;; ?ithout a bottle cf X>r. Bull's Baby Byr ?K_y-'v'V'Vj - - Thoro ara forty-eight divorce < >u filo In Dallas, Toxas. - Hon. Sam McLIu.. ax-S^rcUry of Jute ot Florida, ia dead, . -